Macron Pulls the Indo-Pacific Closer to Paris With New Ministerial Appointment

France's President Emmanuel Macron addresses a plenary session at the European Parliament to present the program of activities of the French Presidency as France currently holds the European Union rotating presidency, in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Jan. 19, 2022. Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron has moved to pull the French Indo-Pacific closer to Paris with the appointment of Sonia Backès, president of New Caledonia’s Southern Province, to his enlarged 42-member government.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne officially appointed Backès to the post of secretary of citizenship in the Interior Ministry on July 5, reported RNZ.